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Application of a massively parallel computer to the N-body problem

  • Part 1/Application of Computers to Solving Problems
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Abstract

Parallel processor computers represent a new technology that has recently become available for astronomical applications. We have implemented an N-body code on a TMC Connection Machine CM-2 in order to investigate the advantages of a massively parallel computer over serial machines, including conventional supercomputers. For collisionless problems following N stars, a direct integration code scales as O(N2) on serial machines and on the CM-2 as O(log(N)) for small N and O(N log(N)) for large N. The CM-2 outperforms workstations for N>50 and supercomputers for N>4000.

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References

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Hertz, P., McMillan, S.L.W. Application of a massively parallel computer to the N-body problem. Celestial Mechanics 45, 77–80 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01228981

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